Lucifer never felt so tired and broken in his life. Those cold tiles underneath his palm had quite an appeal right now and maybe he could just... lie down for a little while?

He could hear it when both brother shouts a joyful "Jack!", surprised to see him actually alive, he could hear their footsteps and imagine them running towards him, confused and shocked that- just like that - Chuck was gone. But Lucifer, he knew better.

Chuck wasn't gone, not really. Still he couldn't help but huff, feeling amused by the fact that as the bible says - God is in everything. Jack broke his light apart, sending massive waves up to the Heavens, up to his brothers and what was left of the angels, opening Heaven's gates and giving the angels back their wings.

It was Lucifer's idea, but nobody needed to know that. Otherwise they might question it. No, best let them think it was Jack who bestowed their powers back. Jack is the hero here, not him. He was just a means to an end, nothing more.

Still, there it was, a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder and once he managed to lift his gaze up,there was so much concern in those eyes he felt like choking on the worry they were projecting.

"Are you alright?" Castiel's deep voice echoed in his ears causing him to wince as if someone just pulled out his tooth. Loud, he was too close, too loud.

"So it was all you, kid? From the start?" Dean sounded on the other side of the room, talking to Jack. They all saw him, his essence coming out of Lucifer. Dean sounded amazed and maybe a bit hurt at the same time that Jack didn't come back to them, that he let them think he was dead.

"Yes." Jack replied getting off the table his body was placed upon. "I needed a place to hide and to get stronger." He glanced in Lucifer's direction. "He was the perfect solution." Castiel helped Lucifer to his feet, focused on him until Jack spoke up again.

"But you knew." He told the angel. Castiel turned raising his eyes to meet Jack's.

"I had my suspicions. But I didn't want to vocalize them in case I was... mistaken or..."

"Dooped." Dean added and Castiel threw him an annoyed look as he kept talking.

"... In danger of revealing your disguise."

Lucifer really didn't want to be here right now. He felt like he could pass out at any moment, too weak in this human form. Fear crawled up his spine because he knew the Winchesters were about to get a confirmation that it was really him in there, and that they would just kill him. There was nothing he could do to stop them.

He would not, he could not plea for his life, they had every right to take it. He couldn't fight, he was just to worn out and drained to have any fight left in him. Despite that hand still on his shoulder, Lucifer knew Castiel wouldn't help him, but he couldn't help but wonder if he knew. In fact, do they know?

"But... How did you kill Him? I mean, we know that if we kill him, the darkness takes over and... Nothing seems to be happening..." Sam questioned while Dean frowned at him before turning a curious gaze at the kid.

"I didn't kill Him. He is still very much alive." Jack replied with a smile.

"But then... Where... Where is He?" Sam asked and Jack turned his bright innocent face to him, his smile ever present.

"He is... Everywhere. And nowhere. He is... All around."

"I can live with that." Dean replied with a nod, his lips pouting out as he pressed the together. "I mean... He can't... Gather Himself, right?"

"Oh, no. - Jack replied with a bit of a serious face - No, I sent most of his power up to the archangels."

"The archangels, right... Um... They're not gonna be a problem, now?" Dean asked, dreading the response. He knew Gabriel would really hurt them, they were friends once, but they did throw Michael into the Cage and called Raphael their bitch... Well, ok, Cas technically did that one, but still.

"No. They won't." Jack simply responded, looking over at Lucifer. Taking in his overall appearance, he figured it must have been a big strain on his body to hold him for so long. Jack took a step towards him and raised his hand and Lucifer flinched, sucking in a breath, his eyes darting the ground.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to heal you. To make you feel better." Jack replied and Lucifer stood still, his eyes falling closed as Jack set his hand on Lucifer's forehead, still not completely trusting that he won't be smitten any second now.

Instead, a pleasant warmth spread over his entire body, making all the full aches wash away and disappear, but still, the mental tiredness remained.

"Thank you. For letting me in. And helping me become me again." Jack said and Lucifer just breathed in and out, his mind still hazy, his head throbbing, his heart pulsing in his ears.

"Yeah, thanks. We all know how hard it is to give up control and hope that it will somehow all turn out ok. You did good, Nick." Sam said, making the wrong kind of an assumption. What could he think anyway? The man before him served nothing but a vessel that held Jack, that was strong enough to hold the kid because it held Lucifer before. But hearing the kind, comforting words Sam directed at him, he sucked in a shaky breath and lifted his sorrowful glance at the younger hunter. He could only withstand to look at him for a moment before he had to look away.

"Oh, no, this isn't Nick. This is Lucifer." Jack said like it was nothing, and Lucifer screwed his eyes shut, tears brimming inside of them. He could hear Sam gasp and he could hear his footsteps and he stumbled away. But the strong, comforting hand on his shoulder remained.

Lucifer dared to open his eyes, and see the utter horror written across Sam's face, while Dean seemed so consumed with rage towards him. But Jack was smiling. And Castiel remained by his side, like he always known it was him. Like he knew nobody could fake, nobody could copy that level of narcissism and sass.

"Is he... Is... Is he..." Sam tried.

"Is he human?" Dean managed reaching for his gun.

"He is and you won't hurt him." Jack said. "He and I... We had a deal."

"A deal? A deal?! Are you out of your freaking mind?! You know that's..." Dean started and for the first time witnessed Jack frowning at him, displeased. But Dean was yelling and he was pissed at Jack, and Lucifer felt like he shouldn't be, not at him. Not after everything the kid went through to not only prove himself to them, but to save the world.

"Please... I just... I just want my Grace back." Lucifer spoke, trying to reason with them and show that he won't be a threat to them, that all he wanted was his wife. Of course, the word being a homonym created only more confusion and Dean actually draw that gun at him.

"If you think we will let that happen you are downright insane!" Dean threatened, but Jack completely ignored him and stepped closer to the man.

"We had a deal." Jack repeated, raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Bright light engulfed the room and Sam gasped so loudly, his lungs burnt with the amount of air he drew in. But Lucifer's eyes didn't flare red, his wings didn't cast a shadow on the wall behind him. Instead his eyes went wide and he pushed forward, right between the brothers. Sam almost fell backwards and Dean almost pulled that trigger, but the world stopped as Lucifer exclaimed "Gracie!".

The boys froze, looking bewilderedly at Lucifer and the woman in his embrace. Sam frowned for a moment, then seemed to remember her.

"Grace? She's... She's one of the hunters from the apocalypse world." He explained.

But Lucifer didn't care anymore. He didn't care what happened as long as he got to hold her in his arms once more, knowing that she is alive, safe and sound. Tears flowed freely as he clenched her shirt in his fists, his head burried in the crook of her shoulder, breathing her in and quietly sobbing. The sight was astounding and of course left the guys speechless.

It was the kind of a reunion they had after one of them died or supposedly died and then came back, but so much more emotional and moving, heart-rending.

Soul-stirring.

Finally, Lucifer lodged himself away from Gracie to look at her, take in every feature like a drunken man would a whiskey. Slowly, he cupped her cheek and leaned in, pressing his their lips together, his eyes once again screwing shut, like he wanted to savour the feeling. They pulled away and simply stated at one another for a few minutes before Lucifer pulled her into a tight hug once more.

"Luka..." She whispered, patting him on the back and his racing heart started to calm. Finally, he turned towards their audience, still unable to meet the Winchesters baffled gaze.

"Thank you. Thank you, Jack."

"We had a deal, and I simply honored what we agreed on."

"You did so much more, and you know it. You purposely left a piece behind." Lucifer replied. Jack smiled, kind and bright.

"I didn't need it all. You gave me life - a soul and grace. I think it is only right I give the same." Lucifer huffed something between a sob and a laugh, his fingers intertwining with Gracie's. He gulped, and finally turned to the boys, taking in a deep breath.

" I... I could never ask for forgiveness, I could never even imagine I would be forgiven. But I need you to know... The Lucifer you knew... He is gone. He is never coming back. And I can only hope that... That will be enough."

Sam and Dean didn't say a word, only stood oddly and watched as Lucifer and Gracie turned and left. The world was safe again, Jack was back, Castiel too, and so we're the archangels. But it felt different, this time it all felt different.

Chuck was gone and so we're the strings that held them upright, made them do things they didn't want to do, but also made them question just how much of Lucifer was a manipulation by God, and how much was it him. With the slate clean, they didn't have to trust him or work with him, but they could do one thing.

They could leave him be.

The end

Author's note: So what do you guys think? Did you like it? Shower me with some reviews so that I might feel inspired to write a Xmas special in this universe.